Saints' Kenny Vaccaro Talks Getting Benched vs. Patriots as Trade Rumors Swirl

New Orleans Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro had a seat on the bench for much of his team's 36-20 defeat to the New England Patriots at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and the 2013 first-round pick was at a loss when asked about a possible reason for his benching.

"I know Gronk had two catches on me, really great catches, and that was about it. That's all that really happened," Vaccaro said after the game, per ESPN.com's Mike Triplett. "The next thing I know, I'm sitting next to coach [Sean] Payton."

CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora first reported Friday the Saints had discussed trading Vaccaro, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed New Orleans had shopped the 26-year-old around.

The Saints have allowed 777 passing yards and six touchdowns through the air in their first two games, so trading a proven veteran such as Vaccaro would seemingly be the last thing for New Orleans to consider.

But Vaccaro is in the final year of his contract with the Saints, so this may be an opportunity for New Orleans to get something in return for a player the franchise doesn't see as part of its long-term plans.

Vonn Bell, a 2016 second-round pick, made 13 starts and appeared in every game as a rookie, and the Saints used another second-round pick to add Marcus Williams earlier this spring. Were the Saints to trade Vaccaro, they'd already have the pieces in place to fill the void he'd leave in the secondary.